According to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), the surrounding Pertamina Plumpang depot fire incident is a hazardous zone & no longer inhabited. With over a thousand refugees and 17 deaths, this might be one of Jakarta’s worst depot fire incidents. Hundreds of victims’ houses and other public facility buildings around the area were razed to the ground.
“I have requested the State-Owned Enterprises Minister and Jakarta Governor to urgently seek solutions for the disaster in Plumpang, especially considering this is a hazardous zone, no longer inhabitable,” Jokowi said on Sunday.
A fire broke out at a gasoline storage facility run by the government-owned energy company Pertamina in Plumpang North Jakarta. According to the Jakarta Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), around 1,085 people took shelter in neighboring buildings.
The Plumpang fire incident began on March 3, 2023, at around 8:10 Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB).
On Saturday, Abdul Muhari, deputy head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BNPB) data, information, and communication center, said that joint officers that BPBD manages had aided the victims.
The 1,085 Plumpang fire incident refugees have moved to a few locations:
- 79 evacuees at South Rawa Badak village headquarters
- 132 evacuees at North Jakarta Red Cross Indonesia (PMI) office
- 258 evacuees at the Golkar Walang building
- 356 evacuees at Rasella Child-Friendly Integrated Public Space
Also, around 74 evacuees from the Plumpang fire incident were put in the North Jakarta Manpower, Transmigration, and Energy Office, 63 at the Al-Kuromas Mosque, 63 at the As Sholihin Mosque, and 60 at the Al-Muhajirin Mosque.
In addition to non-food aid, including mattresses, blankets, under-five kid packages, family packages, sarongs, Muslim women’s prayer attire, tarps, clothing packages, and childrenswear, the joint officers have supplied food aid such as mineral water and ready-to-eat meals for the Plumpang fire victims.
According to the BPBD, the fire accident resulted in 17 deaths, 49 serious injuries, and two moderate injuries.
The severely injured and mildly injured survivors of the Plumpang fire incident have received care at several facilities, including Pelabuhan Hospital, Mulya Sari Hospital, Firdaus Hospital, Pekerja Hospital, Tugu Koja Regional Public Hospital, and Koja Regional Public Hospital.
Since the President believed that the Plumpang area was no longer habitable, Jokowi recalled creating a barrier between the Plumpang fuel station and the neighborhood around it.
“Rivers on the left and right sides of the Plumpang area were supposed to be built at the time to form the water zone. It has not, however, found solutions for the people of the area, “Jokowi stated.”
He revealed that the Jakarta Provincial Government had suggested a buffer zone in 2009 with 50 meters between the fuel store and the residential area.
The suggestion was made following an explosion at the Plumpang fuel storage in 2009 that created a large fire that spread to a nearby residential neighborhood.
President Jokowi emphasized that the safety of the people is his top priority and that he would keep looking for the best solution.
The President has instructed Heru Budi Hartono, the acting governor of Jakarta, and Minister Erick Thohir, who oversees State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), to transfer the victims’ homes of Plumpang residents in a matter of days.
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